First Night
We’ve currently departed Tarago (north-west corner of Castille) by sea. Due to the weather we’d going to stop at the Isla del Umbra (sp?) A sailor is swept overboard and Benedicta dives after her with a rope, recovers her but loses the rope The ship strikes a rock as it enters a sheltered bay. Captain Verity sees a large shape and a humanoid figure on the cliff Benedicta and the sailor manage to reach the shore, a stony beach by a cliff and stagger along it, singing to keep their spirits up. As the ship repairs begin, the passengers are approached by a Montaignian woman who may be the harbourmaster. She welcomes them and directs them to the inn, The Brace of Daggers. At this point Benedicta and the sailor arrive. Inside the inn there is warmth and inn. Later a cloaked 17 year old Montaignian girl with blonde hair arrives: Camille. Floriana and Jessica are offered her family’s hospitality, which Floriana accepts. Sailors from the ship offer to buy drinks for Benedicta. Locals ask her if Benedicta’s there to help them. There is tension there with Benedicta favoured and Jessica not. There appears to be fear of a ‘beast of judgement’. A Vodacce captain speaks with Jessica but it seems he isn’t the one deciding where his ship goes. Iulia wins a great deal of booze in arm-wrestling and shares it around. Verity, Iulia and Jessica go on to take up the invitation, Vasily and Benedicta are approached. The local priest apparently wants the locals to remove the Duke and Duchess, talking about sinful ways and the ‘judgement’ killing locals over recent months, which their death would rid them of. The beast: face like a cat, shoulders high as a man’s head. Allegedly raised by scholars unearthing something on the coast. Camille introduces Floriana to her parents, Duke Gabriel, Duchess Antoinette, and her brother Mark (fifteen years old). A Castilian scholar is already a guest and the matter of the Judgement arises. They’re divided on what to do about it (children think they should leave, Duchess not happy with the idea). Once dry (and moved in at the inn) Benedicta goes down to the church, looking for the priest who tells her the prophecy Prophecy: “When an island of tempests shelters the sinful and the wicked in scholarly guise the beast shall rise and tear down the tall. Only by cleansing sinners in flame and reconciliation of faith will the faithful be spared.” This seems incorrect to Benedicta in form (guise is an anachronism) who asks about the beast. Body parts have been found for victims, last was three nights ago. At the manor, it’s learned that it’s build over what was once an important castle before cannon made that irrelevant, so it was blown up and the stone used for the manor. There island where the scholars are excavating is visible from the roof of the manor - although only in better weather. Verity invites the others of the party to go looking for the creature. Benedicta is interested. Iulia studies a map, guessing that this is some martial ploy of human origin. As we search that night, we encounter the creature and someone holding a glowing item, wearing a tricorn Benedicta studies the glowing item and sees it’s three rings worn on an ungloved female human hand, likely a Syrne artifact. Vasily eyes the creature and it doesn’t seem to be a supernatural creature, perhaps some horrifically altered cat? An island this size couldn’t support even one natural predator of this size. The creature growls as it notices us… Verity takes cover in an alley too narrow for it, while Benedicta distracts it with barrel and then they take shelter in the church, behind the stout door. Vasily tries to spot it from the steeple. That night Jessica wanders the manor, ostensibly looking for somewhere for a smoke but actually looking for anyone trying to sneak around. She sees Camille praying.